Improvement in watches



wm e PHELPS.

Watch. 11e. l37,711. Pe1ee1ee1 Feb. 17, 11163.

fnen o ran N. PETERS. Fhata-Lilhngnpher. Wushmgton. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OrEicE..

E. R. WAIT AND J. WILLARD PHELPS, OF RAVENNA, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT lN WATCH ES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,714, dated February 17, 1863.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, E. R. NVAIT and J. WILLARD PEELPs, both of Ravenna, in the county ot' Portage and State of Ohio, have invented a new and uset'ul Improvement in Vatches; and we do hereby declare that the followingV is a full, clear, and exact description of the same. reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan view of the main wheel and barrel of a watch with our improvement. Fig. 2 is a central section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate cJrresponding parts in both figures.

This invention consists in attaching the main wheel of a watch loosely to the barrel and employinga ratchet to transmit the power from the barrel to the said wheel, whereby in case of breakage of the mainspring, and consequent recoil ot the barrel, the latter is enabled to turn freely and save the train of wheels from the force of such recoil, which, when the barrel and main wheel are rigidly connected with each other, often results in breaking the Y teeth of the wheel or ofthe pinion.

Ais the barrel, B the main wheel, E the niainspring, and F the winding-arbor. The spring is connected with the barrel and winding-arbor in substantially the usual manner. The barrel has on its back a concentric circu lar projection, a a, to which the wheel is tted in such manner as to permit the barrel to turn independently of it.

C is a ratchet-wheel, secured by screws b b to the central project-ing portion, a a, of the back of the barrel, and lapping over the wheel B, and so serving to keep the wheel to its place on the barrel. D is a spriug-pawl attached to the wheel B and engaging in a tooth ofthe ratchet-wheel O. This pawl is attached to the wheel by being made ot' partly-circular form, as shown in Fig. l, and springs tightly into a circular recess, c c, in the outer side ot' the wheel, where it holds itself securely by the friction produced by its elasticity, or is held by a simple rivet. The ratchetwheel G has its teeth set in such direction that any one of them bearing against the pawl D will serve to drive the main wheel B and the train when the barrel rotates in the proper direction, (indicated by the arrow upon the ratchet-wheel in Fig. 1,) but that it' the barrel should turn in the opposite direction the teeth of the attached ratchet-wheel would press aside and pass the tooth of the pawl, and have no effect on the wheel and train. By thus permitting the main barrel to turn freely in a reversed direction the recoil to which itis subject on the breaking of the niainspring is prevented from acting upon the main wheel and train.

That we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Attaching the main wheel loosely to the barrel and employing a ratchet to transmit the power from the barrel to the said wheel, substantially as herein specified.

E. E. lVAlT.

J. WILLARD PHELPS.

Witnesses J. P. ALconN, A. BELDINCT. 

